Shining a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news and commentary, and a focus on the weird and wacky things that happen at the fringes of the publishing world.

April 29, 2006

Victoria Strauss -- The 20 Worst Come Home

Thanks in part to the delightful Miss Snark and the estimable Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Writer Beware's 20 Worst Agents List has been proliferating across the Internet. We thank everyone who has re-posted the list--we're thrilled it has gotten so much exposure. The more writers know about literary predators, the better.

To date, however, the list hasn't appeared on Writer Beware itself. That's because in order to make a major addition of this kind to the site, we need permission from those in charge at SFWA, which sponsors us. Last week they told us "bring it on!" So here it is, home at last.

Something important to note: the 20 agencies on the list account for the bulk of the complaints Writer Beware receives--but they're just the tip of the iceberg. As of this moment, we have files on nearly 400 questionable agencies, and we run across a new one every few weeks. So don't let the list give you a false sense of security. Even if you know the 20 Worst, there are plenty of lesser bad guys waiting to trip you up.

Also, Cris Robbins sent me a nasty e-mail, thinking I was Jenna from AW, which I am not, and joked about the AW site being down. This is one nasty woman. Please, whatever you do, if you are new to writing, NEVER send her anything. She will only come after your money and then call you mean names. Watch, send her an e-mail about anything, just the weather, and watch how she responds by name calling and evil jokes. She is pure evil. She should be number 1 on the 20 worst list.